Inspired Villages appoints Legal & General exec as CFO
Nottingham-based Inspired Villages, an operator and developer of later living communities across the UK, has appointed Stephen Halliwell as its chief finance officer from January 2022.
He is transferring to Inspired Villages from his current role of CFO at Legal & General Capital (LGC) which he has held for the last five years.
Previously he held leadership roles at FTSE100 and FTSE250 companies.
The appointment follows the announcement that Legal & General has entered into a 15-year joint venture partnership with NatWest Group Pension Fund, the defined benefit pension scheme of NatWest Group, to invest £500m of equity to build later living communities which will be developed and operated by Inspired Villages.
Halliwell will support Inspired Villages in its next stage of significant growth, with a commitment to back a portfolio of 34 sites – equating to around 5,100 homes, 8,000 residents and an estimated Gross Development Value (GDV) of around £4bn – as part of the new landmark joint venture.
Inspired Villages currently has a portfolio of six operational villages, four schemes under construction (including two that will become the UK’s first net zero carbon regulated energy retirement villages) and a robust pipeline of 12 legally contracted sites across the UK plus 10 others in legals/due diligence. This puts the company currently well on track to deliver its target of 5,100 homes.
Jamie Bunce, CEO of Inspired Villages, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Stephen to the Inspired Villages team. I am confident he offers the technical skills and experience necessary to support our growth plans as well as help us to invest in the development of our talented people and business processes. Amongst other things he has previously been FCA-regulated, with approvals to manage third party capital in various capacities. He also brings with him a strong proven track record and passion for developing people and building out leading finance platforms – experience that will stand us in good stead as we continue to evolve our business offer. As an incoming member of our leadership team, Stephen shares our values towards equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging and is committed to supporting the journey that we are on to build a world class culture and a truly diverse talent base. This is incredibly important to us.”
Stephen Halliwell said: “I am delighted to be joining Inspired Village at this exciting point in its growth. Having recently established a landmark joint venture with NatWest Group Pension Fund which aims to deliver around £4bn of GDV, I am excited to be playing a leading role in helping the business meet its significant growth ambitions whilst it also looks to deliver the UK’s first two net zero carbon later living communities and meet the fast-growing need for specialist later living accommodation.”
